San Luis Obispo CoC HMIS Newsletter

Navigating the Reports Library

Reports available in Clarity are designed to foster efficient program operations and meet data quality standards. From the favorite "Program Roster" report to running APRs, follow directions for navigating the Report Library in Clarity in this Knowledge Base Article.

Monday, January 20: County offices closed

11AM Wed., January 22: HSOC Coordinated Entry Subcommittee

9AM Tues., January 28: HSOC Data & Performance Subcommittee

1:30PM Tues., January 28: CES Announcements and Information

3PM Wed., February 5: HMIS Office Hours

1:30PM Tues., February 11: CES Case Conferencing

Event links and details provided below.

Welcome to 2025!

We are excited to kick off this new year with the HMIS Community! You will notice a few small changes to the newsletter's design and content as we strive to make it even more engaging and useful. The HMIS Newsletter is now monthly and will be distributed on the third Thursday of each month. We appreciate you taking the time to read and share what you learn!

COLA Adjustments in 2025

There will be a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for Social Security (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for 2025. This means clients who are currently receiving those benefits should see an increase in their monthly benefit. Income changes should be recorded on an annual assessment/status update for clients currently enrolled in projects, and the new COLA Update Report will help case managers identify their clients currently receiving SSI or SSDI. Reporting income changes in HMIS is especially important for CoC-funded projects, as this data is included in the System Performance Measures and may impact funding through the annual HUD NOFO process. To learn more about COLA for Social Security beneficiaries, click COLA and COLA Fact Sheet.

Sheltered Point-in-Time and Housing Inventory Count

The HMIS Team is preparing for the annual Sheltered Point-in-Time (PIT) and Housing Inventory Count (HIC). There are required action for both HMIS-participating agencies and non-HMIS participating projects, pending the project type. Non-HMIS agencies have been invited to a 2025 PIT/HIC training and all agencies can expect relevant communication regarding next steps. The HMIS Knowledge Base contains a Comprehensive Guide for the 2025 PIT/HIC which includes terms and definitions, timeline, reporting requirements, and affected HMIS projects.

HSOC Meetings in January

The Homeless Services Oversight Council (HSOC) is the governing body and collaborative applicant for the San Luis Obispo Continuum of Care (CoC). The Data and Performance Subcommittee provides oversight and ensures CoC compliance for the HMIS Lead. And the Coordinated Entry Subcommittee oversees the development of policies, guidance, and procedures regarding the four components of the Coordinated Entry System (CES): access, assessment, prioritization, and referral.

View meeting times and agendas for the HSOC Data and Performance Subcommittee here and the HSOC CES Subcommittee here.

HMIS Office Hours: Wednesday, February 5 at 3PM

Thank you to all who attended January Office Hours! Office Hours is an opportunity to drop-in and build community among users across all agencies as well as ask questions direct to the HMIS Team.

Click here to join the February Office Hours.

Thank you for a Successful LSA Submission

Thank you to all the Agency Administrators and staff who helped prepare data for the LSA Submission last week. The Longitudinal Systems Analysis (LSA) Report provides critical information to HUD regarding how people in our community access and utilize care. We reviewed an entire years-worth of data together and all during the holiday season. Thanks to the commitment and help of partners, we were able to successfully submit and with a minimal number of flags. We're looking forward to an even easier process next year as we continue to prioritize data quality together!

Question: What is the best way to search HMIS before creating a new client record to ensure I don't make a duplicate record?

Answer: Prior to creating a new client record, it is recommended you search three (3) different ways to ensure the client is not already in HMIS. First, search by client name or SSN. If a match is found, confirm all unique identifying information before selecting client record to update or add information. If there are no initial matches, try searching by partial name and/or alternate spelling. After the search methods are complete and still no matches, then a new record can be created. If during your search, you identify potential duplicate records, email ss_HMISsupport@co.slo.ca.us with the unique identifiers for the records so they may be merged. Learn more about searching for and creating new clients in this HMIS Knowledge Base Article.

Question: How can I reach out to HMIS Support about client needs or HMIS help without sharing any Personal Identifying Information (PII)?

Answer: Thank you for prioritizing client privacy! Sharing client PII, in environments outside of case management, such as during community meetings, partner events, or HMIS Support emails is a violation of the HMIS privacy policies. Serving clients with dignity means also respecting their privacy and right to privacy. When communicating with HMIS Support and you need to reference a client or profile, simply include the unique Clarity identifier (a combination of letters and numbers). The Clarity unique identifier can be found on the client profile. For messages that require client PII (like select funder communications), you must encrypt the message. Reach out to HMIS Support directly for any questions or advice to adhere to HMIS Privacy Policies. We're here to help!

The CE Team is excited to start the year facilitating lease-ups at HASLO's Maxime Lewis Apartment Project, PSHH and SLO City's Project HomeKey, and the county and Good Samaritan's Welcome Home Village! We are continuing to refine our prioritization and referral policies, expand collaboration between service and housing providers, and create more tools for education. We are thrilled to continue to grow the CE team and the impactful role of Coordinated Entry in our community.

Please join us in welcoming the newest member of the CE Team, the CES Specialist, Hayley Spyksma. Welcome Haley! Some folks may know Hayley from her time working as CAPSLO's RCP Supervisor, CenCal Clinical Support Associate, and the Good Samaritan Community Supports Coordinator. Hayley brings extensive experience with homeless services and data management to the team! Partner agencies can expect to hear from the CE Team to schedule visits to introduce Hayley and provide ongoing education and support.

Meeting Updates:

The CES Announcements and Information meeting will be held virtually on Tuesday, January 28 at 1:30PM. This is a new opportunity to grow your knowledge about CE and ask questions directly to the team. The CES Announcements meeting will be recurring and is scheduled to be the 4th Tuesday of each month.
The CES Case Conferencing Meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 11 at 1:30PM. Case Conferencing will occur the second Tuesday of each month.
Interested participants for either meeting are invited to reach out directly to Nathan Rubinoff to be added to this calendar item, or if there are any questions.

Questions regarding best practices and CES user support

can be directed to the CES Management Entity

HMIS Database Dashboard

The Data Workgroup continues to progress on the publication of a public-facing HMIS data dashboard. Stay tuned for exciting updates from the HMIS Team when the dashboard will go live!

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